THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF 19 DECEMBER 1966

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: President's Daily Brief 1961-1969
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0005968690
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 5
• Document Creation Date: September 16, 2015
• Document Release Date: September 16, 2015
• Publication Date: December 19, 1966

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2015/07/24: CIA-RDP79T00936A004900090001-4
The President's Daily Brief
-rOp--Seej__ 19 December 1966
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DAILY BRIEF
19 DECEMBER 1966
1. South Vietnam
2. Dominican Republic
The Constituent,AsSembly has de-
cided that the future government should
have a vice president to share the
pinnacle of power with the president
and the prime minister. The delegates
had the problem of presidential succes-
sion in mind when they voted. They
have postponed discussion of just what
duties would be shouldered by a vice
president.
The assembly has now turned to the
issue of local government. Many dele-
gates favor popular elections at all
levels. If they get their way, it
would mean a general expansion of local
autonomy. This would be particularly
significant on the crucial province
chief level, where incumbents--most of
them active military officers--are now
appointed by Saigon.
President Balaguer has reacted
negatively and defensively to Ambassa-
dor Crimmins' efforts to impress upon
him our concern with the growing polari-
zation of political opinion in his coun-
try. Balaguer rejected charges that his
security forces are unable to discrimin-
ate between the Communist and non-Commu-
nist left.
He made it clear that he feels a
reconciliation between his party and the
left-of-center Dominican Revolutionary
Party is impossible. He dismissed Out
of hand the Revolutionary Party's accu-
sation of government complicity in ter-
rorist attacks against leftist groups.
All in all, this kind of mutual sus-
picion could easily bring on a renewal of
dangerous political tensions.
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3. Haiti
4. France
5. Egypt
19 Dec 66
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The American embassy in Port-au-
Prince says there is no doubt that
Duvalier is filling his pockets from
the recent deal with Santo Domingo to
send Haitian canecutters into the Do-
minican Republic. The income from this
agreement, perhaps as much as 8400,000,
will be added to Duvalier's "non-fiscal
funds"--a personal pot used to maintain
his power structure.
Some US newspapers have already
labeled the contract a "slave labor"
agreement.
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/the main accomplishment
of the Kosygin visit was to establish
the framework for Franco-Soviet economic
cooperation. The two countries agreed
to set up a high-level commission to co-
ordinate economic and scientific efforts
as well as a number of mixed-manned
study groups to work on specific prob-
lems.
De Gaulle is now debating whether
or not to remain in COCOM, the Western
committee for coordinating policy on
the sale of strategic items to Commu-
nist countries.
Nasir claims that he will be able
to get 850,000 tons of wheat, thanks to
help from the Soviets. This is enough
to meet his requirements through the
middle of next year.
The Moscow commitment calls for
shipping some of the wheat and lending
foreign exchange to buy the rest through
commercial channels. This is quite a
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Moscow not long ago agreed to help 50X1
Cairo with only 250,000 tons. The switch
can be attributed to the good Soviet
harvest.
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Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2015/07/24 : CIA-RDP79T00936A004900090001-4
6. Nigeria
19 Dec 66
British troubleshooter Malcolm
McDonald's talks with Gowon and with
the Eastern military governor have
not brought the two sides appreciably
closer to agreement, but our embassy
in Lagos is cautiously encouraged by
this first sign of communication de-
veloping between thet.
So far the two protagonists are
fully agreed on only one point--that
time is running against a compromise.
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Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2015/07/24 : CIA-RDP79T00936A004900090001-4
Top Secret
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2015/07/24 : CIA-RDP79T00936A004900090001-4